Most fight fans have experienced that unmistakable moment of awe upon hearing a bloodied but beaming fighter, who has just endured every inch of their anatomy being crushed, squeezed, torqued and pounded, proclaim that the previous 15 minutes were one hell of a good time.

Of course, it’s in the immediate aftermath of a grueling contest that we often enjoy fighters at their most candid, so there’s little reason to doubt the veracity of what they’re saying. It’s those combatants who likely spent years dreaming of Bruce Buffer bellowing out their name inside the UFC’s hallowed octagon before a title bout, or the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan after UFC President Dana White wrapped the belt around their waist.

You can be sure that those same fighters will, almost to the day, happily recall that eureka moment, having just watched Royce Gracie win UFC 1 on VHS. Surely such an unblinking obsession for all things MMA is a prerequisite for anyone with aspirations of progressing to the sport’s most exacting crucible?

Indeed, Craig, who’s in the final matchup before the card shifts to FS1 and pay-per-view, had quite the novel reason for having no idea who Pedro was after being told the Australian was to be his next opponent: He doesn’t watch, or even particularly love, MMA and the UFC. By his own admission, the 29-year-old would be hard-pressed to name 10 other fighters in the light-heavyweight division.

“Not to sound big-headed, but the name (Pedro) meant nothing to me,” Craig told MMAjunkie. “I’m not a big UFC fan. I don’t spend much time watching opponents, but I had the confidence in my coach to accept that fight right off the bat.

“We had asked to fight in Vegas at UFC 209 because my teammate, Mark Godbeer, had got his fight with Todd Duffee (Duffee was subsequently forced to withdraw from the bout and has been replaced by promotional newcomer Daniel Spitz). We got in touch with the UFC to see if we could get a fight then, but they said the card was full. Then, two days later, they phoned us back and asked if we’d like to fight Tyson Pedro, and although I’d been very vocal about getting a top-10 or top-15 opponent, when you ask the UFC for something and they come back to you, you don’t really turn them down.”

This past December, on the prelims of UFC on FOX 22, Craig introduced himself to a global audience by snatching the perfect record of Luis Henrique da Silva via second-round submission. The victory earned the Scot a “Performance of the Night” bonus, as he continued the impressive trend of vanquishing all his opponents inside two rounds.

In a display of dynamic striking and fluent grappling, Craig did not give the impression of man whose professional career was a little more than three years old. In fact, the “BearJew” was the ripe old age of 24 before stepping foot inside an MMA gym.

To that point, Craig had worked as a soccer coach in his local community in west Scotland, before teaching with an educational charity in high schools, though he is now on an unpaid six-month sabbatical. His first impression of such Spartan surrounds was far from earth-shattering, but he soon became intrigued by the prospect of absorbing the craft he saw.

“My friend took me down to this gym in Coatbridge (his hometown) that was full of sweaty, half-naked people, and I had never even seen the UFC, so it was a bit weird,” Craig said. “But once I started learning, it just took over.

“I could have been training for the last 10 years, but it comes down to how many hours you put in. I’ve had a short career, but I’ve also done loads of training, and I don’t do this bastardized type of training. I concentrate on all disciplines of MMA individually.”

With such a dearth of experience in comparison to the vast majority of his contemporaries, Craig’s outlook is a bold one, but he can also call on very tangible evidence were that mindset to be called into question.

Since entering the professional ranks in August 2013, he has won eight of his nine fights by submission and the other one via TKO, while in November 2015 he defeated Marcin Lazarz to clinch the BAMMA light heavyweight title.

His momentum was then temporarily halted when his first title defense, which was set to be against Irishman Chris Fields in Dublin, was postponed as rules regarding pre-fight brain scans in Ireland were changed following the death of Portuguese fighter Joao Carvalho. The bout was again pushed back after Craig damaged ankle ligaments and, having failed to reach an agreement for a new contract with BAMMA, he was soon under the UFC banner.

Yet, the question still begs: Why does a father of two on the verge of turning 25, one who enjoys a steady income, decide to embark on a career in a brutal sport that he isn’t even particularly fond of?

“I think it comes from that thing in high school where everyone wants to be popular; I think that’s it,” Craig said. “I was never really that guy in high school, and I think I’ve always been chasing that. I want to be liked, and I want people to get behind me, and people have got behind me. The amount of people around the U.K., from my hometown – people I went to school with – that are messaging me, it’s a really nice thing. It’s incredible to hear that your whole country is behind you.”

Fair enough. But it’s not as if the only way to engender yourself to others is by walking into cage and attempting to subdue people who are experts at inflicting physical harm. When you throw in the highly restricted diet and a training regime that would make a Navy SEAL weep, being liked doesn’t seem all that great. As such, Craig also looks to the bigger picture when justifying the life choices which he believes just might distinguish him from the everyman.

“I think everybody wants to be better person than they are,” Craig said. “If it’s not people going to church or the gym to improve their physique, it’s wanting to leave something behind when you’re gone. When I’m gone, I don’t want to be just another guy in a hole and never be remembered again. Even after my time in MMA, if I haven’t done anything, I’ve still taken a really good crack at it. I will have made some really good memories and, somewhere in the world, somebody will remember me. That’s the kind of legacy I want, so that my kids can grow up and be proud of who I am.

“It can be hard because when you’re working that 9-to-5 job and that wage is coming in, it makes life that much easier when it comes to having a family. But life is meant to be hard, and there are days when you wake up and your mind and body are shattered, but you’ve still got to push yourself or let a guy punch your lights out for four rounds, get back up and go home to try and live this normal life with your kids.”

Craig arrived in Sin City a little more than a week ago to acclimatize to the new time zone and significantly warmer weather and, along with Godbeer and coach/co-manager Brain Gallacher, has been going through the final stages of preparations at the gym of UFC and PRIDE veteran Wanderlei Silva. His friendships with Godbeer, Gallacher and the rest of the Scottish Hit Squad team are also a driving force in his quest to make waves in the 205-pound bracket, though he is adamant that monetary gain is an insignificant byproduct.

“I could have a nice existence as a teacher, spending time with my family and having all those things people work hard to can get,” Craig said. “But I want to have memories and have experiences. We just went to the Hoover Dam, and getting to do it with my teammate and coach, who are two of my best friends, it’s priceless to me. ­­The bonus money (from the da Silva win) just makes life and training a wee bit easier, and for my family, who suffer the most so I can treat them to some nice things. But if I didn’t get it, it still would have been a great debut for me.”

Should he prevail over Pedro, Craig is eager to get that ranked opponent next time around, and he is also open to the prospect of moving up to heavyweight at the appropriate juncture. Further down the line, however, his ambitions are somewhat loftier.

“As a young adult, I read James Bond and loved all the films,” Craig said. “I’d love to be a James Bond, but I’m too big and hairy, so one of my main goals is to be a James Bond villain, like a henchman. I think I could be good at that.”